The Safe Man

must go back through the door she talks about.”
    “Would that be where she is now?”
    “I don’t know. I guess. I don’t see her.”
    “Thank you, Teresa.”
    Brian turned toward the door.
    “Who is she?” Teresa asked.
    Brian looked back at her.
    “She’s my daughter. She’s coming in a few weeks.”
    “You mean she’s not born?”
    “Not yet. I think she came through the door to warn me. Now I have to go close the door.”
    Robinette was standing in the upper hallway when Brian came out. It was as if he couldn’t venture into his daughter’s room.
    “We have to put the door back on the safe,” Brian said. “This all started with the safe.”
    “We can’t. The trash was taken yesterday. You put—”
    “I have the door. It’s in my van.”
    Brian headed to the stairs and started down. As he went, he looked up at Robinette.
    “Do you want me to bring it in through the service door?”
    Robinette looked at him as if not comprehending the question. Then he spoke in a quiet voice.
    “No, that won’t be necessary.”

    They were on the back porch of the house. It was a warm night—summer was coming on strong. And Laura with the extra weight and the extra heart beating inside her had to get out of the un-air-conditioned house. They sat side by side in lawn chairs, holding hands. Brian had forgiven her. There were more important things to concentrate on. Besides, he knew the cops could convince anybody of anything. Years back, they had done it to him with his old man, practically had him believing that his father had shot the mark in cold blood.
    He had not told her the whole story of his return to the house on Shell Island. He didn’t want to upset her, especially now that it was almost time for the baby. He only told her that he had gone back to see Robinette, to set things right.
    “So there might be some money in it,” he said now on the porch. “It could really help us with you taking the extra time off and all.”
    “What money? For what?”
    “He said all of this with his daughter and the safe and stuff made him think about writing again. He said he has an idea for a story, and since he’ll want to know about safes and being a box man, he’ll pay me for it. Like to be an expert for his story.”
    Laura sat up straight in her chair. She was excited by the proposition.
    “How much will he pay?”
    “We didn’t get to that yet. I’m supposed to go back over there tomorrow. I’ll find out then.”
    “Those writers make a lot of money.”
    She didn’t say anything else. She was leaving it to him but making it clear she expected him to get a good chunk out of Robinette.
    “We’ll see what he says,” Brian said, not wanting to promise anything or push anything.
    They were quiet for a moment and then she let go of his hand and leaned forward.
    “You know what I want to do?” she asked. “With the money, I mean.”
    “I don’t know. Keep paying the bills?”
    “No, we should get more than just that. I want air-conditioning, Brian. We deserve that. And then we should put in a pool. I want to go swimming at night to cool off.”
    Brian stared straight ahead and off the porch into the distance. He realized that the backyard was just big enough for a pool. Without a word he stood up and went back inside.

About the Author

    Michael Connelly is the author of the recent #1 New York Times bestsellers The Drop, The Fifth Witness, The Reversal, The Scarecrow, The Brass Verdict, and The Lincoln Lawyer, as well as the bestselling Harry Bosch series of novels. He is a former newspaper reporter who has won numerous awards for his journalism and his novels. He spends his time in California and Florida.

    www.michaelconnelly.com

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    On-sale date: November 26, 2012

Books by Michael Connelly
    Featuring Harry Bosch
    The Black Echo
    The Black Ice
    The Concrete Blonde
    The Last Coyote
    Trunk Music
    Angels Flight
    A Darkness More Than Night
    City of Bones
    Lost Light
    The Narrows
    The Closers
    Echo Park
    The Overlook
    Nine Dragons
    The Drop
    The Black Box
    Featuring Mickey Haller
    The Lincoln Lawyer
    The Fifth Witness
    Featuring Harry Bosch and Mickey Haller
    The Brass Verdict
    The Reversal
    Featuring Jack McEvoy
    The Poet
    The Scarecrow
    Other Novels
    Blood Work
    Void Moon
    Chasing the Dime
    Anthologies
    Mystery Writers of America Presents The